Dell recently announced the launch of the new Edge Gateway 5000 Series purpose-built for the building and factory automation sectors. Composed of an industrial-grade form factor, expanded input and output interfaces, and with wide operating temperature ranges, the Edge Gateway 5000, combined with Dell’s data analytics capabilities, promises to give companies an edge computing solution alternative to today’s costly, proprietary IoT offerings.

Making good decisions using data generated by sensors is the central objective of IoT. Yet the rich data generated by IoT devices presents its own set of challenges. Harbor Research estimates that by 2020 smart systems will create over 194 petabytes of data.  The sheer volume and complexity of managing this new decentralised, localised data can quickly overload traditional environments and analysis tools. Edge analytics, carried out with the help of versatile gateways, will help with this data overload by determining what data needs to be acted on quickly and then filtered or stored.

The Dell Edge Gateway sits at the edge of the network (near the devices and sensors) with local analytics and other middleware to receive, aggregate, analyse and relay data, then minimise expensive bandwidth by relaying only meaningful data to the cloud or datacenter. Thanks to new Dell Statistica data analytics capabilities also announced today, Dell is expanding analytics to middleware on the gateway. This means companies can now extend the benefits of cloud computing to their network edge and for faster and more secure business insights while saving on the costly transfer of data to and from the cloud.

“Organisations are struggling to make the best decisions regarding the data volume and complexity created by the vast numbers of sensors, embedded systems and connected devices now on the network,” said Andy Rhodes, executive director, Commercial IoT Solutions, Dell. “As more of the data is processed in real time at the edge of the network, the gateway becomes the spam filter for IoT.”

Dell’s end-to-end portfolio of IoT-enabling solutions

The Edge Gateway 5000 is the newest addition to Dell’s end-to-end portfolio of IoT-enabling solutions and services, which provide customers with choice and flexibility to architect IoT ecosystems with analytics at the edge, the cloud or the data center and take advantage of Dells world-class management offerings to reduce complexity and enhance security. The gateway is available for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to build into their solutions or for building and factory automation customers to use as part of their IoT strategy which can span data center solutions, advanced analytics and digital services. Additionally, customers’ can take advantage of Dell’s global availability, trusted security options, and Dell Support and Deployment services including ProSupport which provides end-to-end hardware support throughout the entire product lifecycle, helping customers maximise their gateway environment and minimise time spent on maintenance. 

For example, ELM Energy is already using Dell gateways to make a difference in securing a more sustainable energy future.  ELM’s FieldSight Controller automates decision structures that toggle between the use of distributed energy sources such as solar, wind and backup generators and traditional utility grid sources.  The systems also help customers make decisions about the most effective times to broker surplus energy back to the open market.

“Through the power of technology, ELM Energy and Dell are enabling real-time decision making that is optimising and balancing power generation and maximising the use of renewable energy,” said James Richmond, president, ELM Energy. “For example, if the renewable energy being generated exceeds demand, our technology is able to automatically decide if the excess should be fed back to the grid or stored for later use when the renewable sources are unavailable. The new Dell Edge Gateway 5000 Series is the perfect platform for our FieldSight Edge software to perform computing functionsclose to the source, at a fantastic value.” 

Key benefits of the Dell Edge Gateway 5000 Series include:

• Ability to be mounted on the wall and to operate in locations with extreme temperatures like boiler rooms and deserts 
• Expansive I/O structure designed to bridge both legacy serial connections (RS-422/485, CAN bus) and modern wireless networks (Wi-Fi, 802.15.4 mesh) to the internet with expansion capability for future options
• Operating system flexibility with choices that include Ubuntu, Wind River Linux, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise.
• Security foundation including TPM, secure boot and BIOS level lockdown of ports.
• Manageability with Dell Command|Monitor for Linux and Cloud Client Manager
• Dell is working with innovative independent software vendors and system integrators like SAP, OSIsoft, Eigen Innovations and Lucid add domain expertise
• Standard Dell lead times allowing customers to receive hardware quickly, a rarity in the OT industry today 
• Consulting, strategy and integration from Dell Services to help information-intensive enterprises like healthcare and insurance customise IoT approaches for their industry 

Dell and Intel are also launching the “Connect What Matters” contest for innovative IoT solutions built on Dell IoT Gateways. The contest is open to commercial companies and solutions can be developed for any vertical. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2016.

Rose Schooler, vice president, IoT Strategy and Technology Office, Intel “The Dell Edge Gateway 5000 Series based on the Intel® Atom™ processor E3800 product family is designed to bridge the data needs of traditional operational technology with the manageability demands of information technology. The result is a solution that meets the needs of IoT customers.”

Patrick Moorhead, founder, president and principal analyst, Moor Insights & Strategy “Enterprises are looking for vendors who understand the modern architectures required for comprehensive IoT and realise the importance of aggregating and analysing data from the edge to the datacenter. With a comprehensive set of services, software and hardware solutions from the gateway to cloud to data center, Dell has a comprehensive offering including the necessary security and manageability capabilities. Dell is taking a pragmatic and realistic approach to IoT implementations.”

Richard Beeson, Chief Technology Officer, OSIsoft "OSIsoft's expertise in Operational Technology and Operational Intelligence, combined with Dell's Edge Gateway and deep understanding of IT, will enable commercial and industrial operations to collect and analyse new sources of data for transformational insights. The new gateway will lower the barriers to pervasive monitoring, enabling operators and engineers to capture additional sensor data without impacting or upgrading traditional automation and control systems.” 

Availability

The Dell Edge Gateway will be available in select countries in December 2015. Check with your Dell sales team. Learn more online at www.dell.com/IoTgateway.